gandalfthegray.

Can anyone help me understand where the value of this car is. It's an 86.5 with manual and claimed 98k miles.

The car does not run. Has been sitting more than a year. Was parked because of vacuum leaks i guess.

Paint and body in fair condition. Hard to tell as very dirty.. dent on left fender and some dents on hood.. windshield cracked, front lip spoiler broken. Miscellaneous engine pieces sitting in passenger seat. These pics taken 6 months ago.

Any guess on a fair offer?

soontobered84

First, Have you read the New Visitor thread at the top of the main 928 page? A wealth of knowledge awaits you.

Second, what do you know that makes you guess that the engine doesn't run due to vacuum leaks? A non-running car is worth very little comparatively because the list of reasons for not running can be so vast.
It could be a bad MAF, It could be bent valves. It could be Thrust Bearing Failure. It could be something easy (bad fuel pump or battery), or it could be something VERY expensive.

Third, A non-running car can be hiding lots of other problems. (bad A/C, bad Transmission, Broken odometer gear, bad or broken rings)

Fourth, What is your skill level to reanimate this car? Can you turn a wrench? Can you follow directions or will the car be taken to a 928 mechanic (not a Porsche mechanic, a 928 mechanic) for reanimation?

Fifth, Is it your understanding that you could easily drop $10,000 into this car and end up with a car worth only $5000?

Sixth, Are you buying this car from a friend or someone you know? Remember this: everybody selling a used car is a used car salesman and may tell you whatever is necessary to secure that sale. If you don't know the person selling the car, take what they say with a grain of salt.

All told, it is an 86.5 manual which would be desired by many folk.

I wouldn't think it likely that the car would be worth more than $5K in it's current condition.

I wish you luck and if you buy it, start a thread detailing your repairs on the car.

M. Requin

I can't help with the valuation but I see some pluses: looks like an 86.5, good interior, tool set only missing a few tools, looks like original Blaupunkt radio, no rear A/C (some would consider that a minus), and it's a manual so likely not a victim of TBF. Minuses are, besides the problems you mentioned, a trashed front spoiler and those wheels (some would consider them a plus). Looks like with some tlc would be a very nice machine.

gandalfthegray.

Thanks for the feedback. I haven't read through that thread but will have a look at it this evening. I'm driving home from Michigan today so can't really research much. I'm waiting to hear from seller shortly. Sounds like he's had the car for two years and when problems arose I don't think there was the money or knowledge to sort the car out.

The add states; new radiator, distributor caps, plugs, wires. New injectors, fuel pump and filter. Needs vacuum leaks fixed and new battery.

Shots in the dark perhaps? just throwing parts at it to hope to solve problem? Who knows. I have some light mechanical skills, brakes, oil changes, plugs etc but this would go in for Intake rebuild or T belts foe example.

I'm thinking of $3k.

Thanks for the feedback!

Walt Simpson

Any explanation for the seemingly apparent paint discoloration? Could be indicative of underlying issues...

gandalfthegray.

No, I haven't been able to reach other than a short text exchange.

928S MN

The 85 - 86.5 intake system is a bear to find intake air leaks. But having said that, those leaks don't usually stop the engine from running. Suspect there is another issue here.
Question to ask would be - were those recently installed parts before or after the car quit running?
Always important to find out when the last timing belt change was done. Not only the mileage but also the month/year.
Electrical grounds, not being cleaned, can cause all types of operating issues, including not running. Checking the condition of the electrical panel relays is recommended. These alone can cause a non-running condition.

$3K? Without knowing the above, I'd start with $2.5K.

IcemanG17

The interior looks decent and being a 5 speed 86.5 does make it fairly rare. The paint is single stage and pretty easy to correct with polishing as long as its not too thin.

Since it doesn't run its value is much lower as you can't test drive it to make a proper list of what it needs. I bought one that was similar years ago for $2k as I recall. I fixed it up and sold it later.

Eplebnista

Nothing matters until you actually see the car in person.

Red oxidizes and the disparity could just be the fact that one fender got compounded and the rest did not.

$3k is too low for an 86.5 5 speed that isn't totally trashed. This car may have potential, but you have too look at it yourself.

Non-running, as noted above, is a huge liability. They all ran when parked. Could be a fuel pump relay, could be the timing belt broke and all the valves are bent.

Are you ready to move from changing plugs or doing oil changes to doing timing belts and other things. If you don't do the work yourself, it gets expensive very quickly.

Remember you won't just be buying a car, you will be buying a car that other people have maintained and/or tried to fix. If you see random wires , lots of splices or miles of electrical tape, run away.

If the car looks solid, but just semi-unloved and it has good compression, I would pay 8 - 10k for it and giggle on my way home. Red oxidizes the most but is also the easiest to bring back to life.

Get a carfax. See if someone who knows 928's can look at it with you or for you.

Billu

Car has been on Facebook marketplace for over 3 months, listed at $8K.
I messaged him once and asked about price, reply was ambiguous.
Grand Forks, ND.
Too many unanswered questions for me.

Christopher Zach

5k. You'll put about 10k in parts and stuff into it over the year.

karl ruiter

3K is a fair number financially, in that it leaves you budget for parts it may require to get it going. But keep in mind that the work it needs may be difficult and subtle to figure out, and possibly difficult to execute. And finding someone to help you with that work can be harder than the work itself. There are three or so, known competent specialists on the list here. If you are close to one of them then I would lean towards yes, otherwise, unless you really want to have a learning experience, I would lean towards no. From what you have said so far, I'm guessing that there is a 90% chance that this thing needs work that is beyond what you have done before. That does not mean you can't do it, but you would have to take the time to find the skills and tools.

gandalfthegray.

Guys, I'm going to have a look at the car this morning. Is there any way to visual confirm no broken timing belt? Is there a quick access point on the cover?

I'm sure this is all in the archives but I haven't got much time. Have to be at work this afternoon. Thanks!

linderpat

Take a 27 mm socket with you (or 22mm? Can't remember) with the long handle - turn the crank clockwise and see if the motor turns. If so, you are ok on the valves. If not don't look back. As to the car, I think $3K is a good price for it. Otto's post above is spot on in all respects (post 9). The interior looks really good, hard to tell if cracks on dash or pod though. I just bought an 85 in this same color combo, and it was in pretty good shape - drivable, but tons of deferred maintenance. I dropped $6K + immediately into it, doing just about all the work myself. The car is just about done and well sorted, and is a good daily driver.

linderpat

also, take a flashlight and one of those telescoping mirrors. You can look up at the timing belt from down near the tensioner. You can also look through the holes in the covers under the plastic air tubes. Turning the crank is the best check though.